"Javi is a special player, because we have a variety of tactical options with him in the team," coach Pep Guardiola told reporters ahead of the DFB-Pokal match at Preussen Munster, which the title holders won 4-1. "It's just a great shame. We'll miss him. He was running into outstanding form after the summer break."

Martinez' long-term absence from first-team football limits the Catalan's options in defence, with Germany international Jerome Boateng the only right-sided centre-back in the squad.

"We'll never get through a whole season only with Jerome," Guardiola continued. "We need a new player. We only have 15 days left [until the transfer window closes]. It will not be easy to find someone."

Guardiola added that club officials are even more concerned over recruiting a replacement for Martinez, saying: "They by all means want a new player."

However, Benatia is rated at some 30 million euros, and is under contract at Rome until 2018, with the Serie A side's CEO Italo Zanzi telling Gazzetta dello Sport: "Medhi is one of our players. He has already been sold according to some media reports, but he continues to work very professionally here."

A host of other names have been linked with Bayern: Bild reports that the German champions are interested in Fiorentina's Stefan Savic and Liverpool's Daniel Agger, though the Denmark international is not thought to be Bayern's first choice.